Astro Toy

Actsta Fate Testarossa

Happy New Year, you bunch of toy-loving animals. How'd you celebrate? For me and the gang it was all about boozin', Deadly Prey and Ninja Terminator. Try it sometime (if you're of age!)

And to start off the year we're looking at a line we've never covered before and which may not even exist anymore. Of course I'm interested in that kind of thing! Actsta (for “action statue”) is an experimental line from Good Smile that combines elements of the posable figure and of the PVC statue. Only characters from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha have ever been released in this line, and only this May '11 release of Nanoha's dear friend Fate Testarossa as seen in the recent movie is still in production.

As you can see, it's really just a larger-than usual action figure: it's in 1/8 scale, but keep in mind that Fate is a nine-year-old girl (if the scale is correct, she stands about 4'4”?), so that's not huge. Even so, this is significantly taller than most of your action figures at about 16cm according to GSC.

I've got her next to the (non-scale) Figma of an indignant Homura here, which is about as reasonable a comparison as I have on hand. For a more direct comparison, have a look at Max Factory's Figma of the same character.

Now, let's try and evaluate this as we would a statue and see if it holds up. Perhaps some close-ups are in order. How are the sculpt and paint? This figure looks very clean: the sculpt is dead-on to the anime character design and there are none of the paint errors that have been plaguing Figma releases. The cape, subtly formed of several bits of plastic, looks particularly good.

But is this figure at a PVC level of quality? I don't think so. The level of fine detail and nuance we expect from a statue in this price range (remember, we're in over-$100 territory here) just isn't there. People pay the big bucks for PVCs because the best of them are really unique and in many cases bear the mark of the artist who sculpted them: that's why I paid up for Dizzy last year. Rather than a statue with articulation, we should think of this as simply a deluxe action figure. And even then... that's one expensive action figure. If we're paying retail price, it's just 70 more bucks from this to a Real Action Hero, you know?

That dealt with, let's look at it on the action figure side. Obviously the figure is trying to be statue-like, so there are as few visible joints as possible. Of course, it's a lucky coincidence that parts of her outfit like the skirt and the cape so effectively cover the major joints. Likewise, the skirt and (prominent; how the hell does she walk around like that) underwear are made of flexible plastic to both accommodate movement and hide the hip joints. Posability is acceptable, but this figure isn't trying to do what Figma does. Looks are top priority.

The cape is, by the way, removable. I think Fate looks significantly worse if you do so, but you make the call.

For weapons, we have the three forms of Fate's talking magical device Bardiche: axe form...

glaive form...

scythe form. Yes, sir! That's a lot of weapon loadout, and aside from faces and hands, that's about all you get for accessories. The faces are pretty lame: your choice is between “expressionless with mouth closed”, “expressionless with mouth open”, and “expressionless with eyes closed”. I know Fate doesn't emote a lot, but jeez.

Like with other figures we've seen (Gaogaigar, Eva) there's a clear plastic sheet for a magical shield effect. Unfortunately, it's floppy, completely ruining the effect.

The part that's most reminiscent of a PVC figure (as you've been seeing here) is the huge, themed stand in the shape of a magic circle. With a posing arm that allows for both the usual peg and a claw that holds the figure at the waist, it's mostly identical to what you get with a Figma. Flying poses are doable, but the stand holds poorly and the posing arm often buckles under the weight of both Fate and a weapon. Anything that can come out on this figure-- the hands, the front hair piece, the weapons-- absolutely loves to fall out. One of the bracelets went flying so far that I don't think I'll ever find it again! Setting up a display is infuriating.

Also, and this is important, Fate cannot stand on her own. Her tiny feet are simply not sculpted to keep the figure standing, no matter how you pose her. Unless you use an outside stand, this figure's going to be taking up quite a bit of space on your shelves.

Now, here comes the real problem. We paid about $110 shipped for this figure on sale at Hobby Link Japan (and it's been available at better prices than that), but the price is up to more like $135 now. Worth the money? No way. It's not even a bad figure: that price is just ludicrous. I think the only reason this is called an “action statue” is so that GSC could charge a statue price for it. Unfortunately, this figure doesn't earn that.

If you're a Nanoha fan and you find this at a major discount-- $80 shipped at the most-- go for it. Speaking of statues, have you seen Saber and her bike yet? Daaaamn! If you offered me a choice between this and that, well, I'd take the Saber figure and laugh at you for, at the very least, an hour.

We're giving away this gorgeous Kotobukiya figure of Yaya!― Today is the day that FUNimation Entertainment releases Unbreakable Machine-Doll (BD/DVD Combo) in regular and limited editions. To celebrate, FUNimation has decided to let ANN give away this beautiful Kotobukiya figure of Yaya from Unbreakable Machine Doll (a $99 value). You may have seen Unbreakable Machine Doll, but both of these comple...

Hope counts down the best moments where Yoko Kanno brought her A-game to Cowboy Bebop. Plus: your poll results, and vote for your favorite Bebop episodes!― 3 2 1, Let's Jam! It's time for a Cowboy Bebop themed episode of The Set List. This week, I've ranked my Top 10 Musical Moments from the legendary jazz-and-blues inspired anime, and you can check them out in the video below! (Please note that we...

PONYCAN USA launched a few months back with two shows: Denki-Gai and Yuki Yuna is a Hero. Executive Director Kazuyoshi Fukuba answers a few questions about what to expect, and what's up with those prices.― PONYCAN USA is the newly-minted US distribution arm of Pony Canyon, which has been in the Japanese media business since 1966. PONYCAN USA follows the example set by Aniplex of America, in that th...

Shinichiro Watanabe's zany sci-fi showcase for his artist pals winds up on bluray today, loaded with special features in a limited edition with a hefty price tag. Mike Toole investigates.― Space Dandy is a series full of magic-- a magic that first reveals itself late in episode 1, during a sequence in which the show's titular hero and his new pal, Meow, are forced to run away from a pack of jumbo-si...

Find out if you won!― Thank you (again) for entering our contest (again). Winners: Patrick Nakasone, Honolulu, Hi Hiddi Jordan, Bailey, Mi Saul Diaz, Arleta, Ca Watch for our next give-away coming SOON! In the meantime, head over to SpaceDandy.com to find out more about FUNimation's awesome Space Dandy sets.

This little-seen family adventure about a group of tanuki living in Kyoto has careful writing and beautiful scenery; Nick Creamer thinks it might just be a modern classic.― In the guidebook accompanying Eccentric Family, series composer Shotaro Suga speaks frankly of the difficulty of condensing an entire book into an anime, and the question of where to even begin telling the story. “There are just ...

Every good fantasy series has a few incredible elf ladies on display. Today, Lynzee decides to finally share the elf.― The term "bombshell" was coined, very appropriately, during World War II to refer to the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, and other sex symbols of the era. There aren't any elves in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but there are plenty of wild, voluptuous fantasy women wielding swor...

Deadman Wonderland is a dark, unsettling look into a private prison abusing the system for the whims of the Warden and a few governmental higher ups.― Ever since 1864, a “wonderland” has been a world where the rules of logic do not apply, a carnival that can be by turns fun and frightening. Deadman Wonderland has been playing with that definition since its first volume, and now in its seventh we beg...